Indonesia Seeks to Enhance Cooperation with Hong Kong

Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the presidential palace in Jakarta–EPA photo.

Jakarta, 29 Rajab 1438/26 April 2017 (MINA) – Indonesia seeks to enhance cooperation with Hong Kong during the visit of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to the China’s special administrative region later this month.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir said during a press briefing here on Tuesday that President Jokowi will depart to Hong Kong on April 30 after attending the 30th ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines.

During the visit, Indonesia will invite and encourage Hong Kong investors to invest in several sectors such as infrastructure and creative industry.

The government will also encourage the progress of establishing a Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement, Nasir said.

“The president will also talk about protection of Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong,” Nasir said adding that around 172 thousand Indonesians are currently living in Hong Kong.

There will be two Memoranda of Understanding to be signed on business cooperation and culture sector, he said.

Hong Kong investment to Indonesia has increased significantly from 691 million US Dollar in 2015 to 2.25 billion US Dollar in 2016.

However, the trade volume between Indonesia-Hong Kong slightly increased from 3.8 billion US Dollar in 2015 to 3.9 billion US Dollar in 2016.

President Jokowi is also scheduled to meet with several CEOs in a business meeting and Hong Kong Chief Executive. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)